Hunter
by CSI1983
Summary: When Booth is visited by a past love, how will he react to the bomb she drops into his life?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N - I seem to have developed a bit of a crush on Booth's past. So here it is, the lastest in my Bones fanfiction. Once again, I am not going to promise anything will happen between Booth and Bones, but then again I have yet to write the final chapter, so anything could change, but no promises! Again, none of the characters belong to me aside from the most obvious, all credit for those go to the fabulous Hart Hanson. So enjoy and as always, let me know what you think..._

Hunter

Chapter One – In Between Days

Everything about her held an air of familiarity. The way her hair fell down to her shoulders, the way she walked and smiled. She was much more fashion conscious then she was back then, the thick make up replaced with just the smallest amount, her nails shone with a manicured shine, her designer handbag huge compared to her small size. And yet even with all that familiarity, she still felt like a complete stranger to him. Had been for over a decade now. He was watching a stranger that resembled an old friend, an old love he once knew. He kept watching with curiosity as she spoke with his boss, her movements stiff and unhappy. She was upset about something, that much he could see. But why was she here at all? He took a deep breath and made his way towards the talking pair, his hands in his pockets, feeling more like a shamed child then an FBI agent. His voice caught in his throat as he inhaled the same perfume that she had worn all that time ago.

"Hello Victoria."

Victoria Patricia Redman had been his first love. The one female who meant something to him all through high school and then college. He thought he was the luckiest man alive when she had first smiled at him, felt like he was flying when they had shared their first kiss. He was so in love with her, that when her parents mentioned the long history of enrolled men in their family, he had enrolled in the army. Had even studied law for a little while at her request. He would have done anything for her, done anything just to see that sweet smile on her face. Which was why when she had broken off their engagement, leaving him for an artist, he had fallen into pit pf despair. He spent his days and nights drinking and throwing himself into meaningless one-night stands, his head filled with everything that they had shared, his heart breaking over and over again. He eventually pulled himself out of it, had healed and had moved on with his life. And here she was, standing in front of him, almost as if nothing at all had happened. Cool blue eyes focused on him, her mouth coming into a smile.

"Hello Seeley. Can we go somewhere to talk?"

He nodded before leading her out of the office and to a coffee shop just around the corner, watching as she ordered herself a hazelnut latte, her movements and words self-assured and confident. He ordered a flat white and settled himself across from her on one of the lime green sofa's that decorated one part of the café.

"So, what brings you here to Washington Victoria?"

"You"

He felt the frown make its way across his face.

"Me?"

Victoria pushed some wayward hair off of her face, her large ring catching the small glint of light in the café.

"Paul left me."

"Oh sorry to hear that."

Victoria gave him a half smile.

"It was a long time coming, believe me. He is not the same man I fell in love with."

Booth shifted a little in his seat.

"I still don't quite understand what this has to do with me."

"He left because he said you were still in my life and in my heart."

"I haven't seen in you in thirteen years. Does he know that?"

"Yes. I think he was just pissed because he found out Hunter wasn't his."

The frown came again.

"Who's Hunter?"

"My daughter."

Victoria shifted in her handbag, moving things around before extracting a slightly bent and faded picture. It was a beautiful little girl sitting in a tree, a wide grin on her face as she waved at the camera.

"She's pretty."

Victoria smiled again as she stroked the picture with great affection.

"She's a right little madam. She's about to hit puberty, so she hates everyone and everything. She drives me crazy."

Booth smiled at her, sharing a smile that came from being a parent. Parker drove him crazy too but it was more for his unnatural curiosity then anything else. The 'why' stage that everyone had assured him would pass, had lasted almost two years now.

"I heard you had a son."

"Yeah Parker. He's almost five."

"Starting school huh?"

Booth shook is head.

"He started a year ago. He's a really smart kid."

Victoria nodded as she put the picture back into her bag and sipped on the coffee that had been delivered while they had been speaking.

"So why have you come here Victoria? It can't have been to recount good old times."

Victoria licked off some of the foam that had settled on her top lip before putting her cup down and staring Booth in the eye.

"I'm dying Seeley."

Booth just about dropped his coffee, catching himself before he did so.

"Dying?"

Victoria nodded as she stirred her coffee.

"Cancer. Lung cancer to be more specific. All those cigarettes we smoked finally caught up with me. It's stage three, meaning there is nothing more they can do for me, aside from help keep the pain away. I have six, maybe seven months."

Booth felt surprisingly sad for Victoria. He had stopped hating her a long time ago but he thought that if he ever saw her again, he would have nothing left to feel for her. But here he was, feeling sad for her, the pity almost overwhelming him.

"I'm sorry Victoria. How long have you known?"

"Two years. I was in remission for a little while but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I wanted to say sorry for hurting you Seeley. No one deserves what I did to you. I know I hurt you."

Booth shrugged.

"I lived. It seems almost trivial now."

Victoria shook her head.

"I am truly and deeply sorry Seeley."

"It's ok Victoria. It's been years and I'm fine."

Victoria smiled tightly at him.

"Things are so different now. The most important things in my life are Hunter and our dog Bobby."

Booth swallowed heavily before continuing.

"What happens to them when..you know.."

"When I die?"

Booth nodded.

"It's ok to say it Seeley, I accepted it a long time ago. This is the reason that I am here. There is something that I needed to tell you, something I should have told you a long time ago."

"And that would be?"

"Hunter is your daughter."

This time Booth was stunned into silence, not quite able to grasp what Victoria had said. He had another child. He had a daughter. He had a thirteen-year-old daughter. He was still struggling with the news when the next sentence slipped out of his mouth.

"Are you sure?"

Victoria nodded.

"Yes. I was pregnant when we separated, I just never realised. I thought I was pregnant to Paul. Then the doubt began to eat at me, she looked so much like you that I decided to take a paternity test for her and Paul. It was negative. You are the only other guy I was involved with Seeley. She's yours."

Victoria fished around in her handbag again before removing a kitchen zip lock bag; a small pink hairbrush nestled inside. She handed it over to him.

"I thought you might want to get it tested for yourself. I don't blame you but I know that she is your daughter."

Booth gently palmed the bag; his eyes fixing on the dark hair nestled in the bristles.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I didn't think it mattered. Hunter had a father and that was all I cared about. Then Paul found out she wasn't his and that was that. He left her high and dry and she was so hurt Seeley. She thought that he had stopped loving her and in a way she's right. Like I said before, Paul was not the man I was once in love with. He's too proud and too arrogant."

"So this is why you came here? To tell me I have a daughter? To just drop a bomb the size of the Titanic on my head and expect me to thank you?"

Victoria held up her hand, trying to calm the quickly angering Booth.

"I don't expect anything from you Seeley. Hunter needs someone to look after her when I'm gone. Someone to make sure she doesn't fall off the rails and loose her dreams. Someone to make sure she keeps the innocence that she is likely to loose with my death. She needs you Seeley."

Booth shook his head.

"You should have told me sooner Victoria! You have no right to come here and lay a guilt trip on me, making me feel bad if I say no to staying with her. You can't do this to someone Victoria, it's not right."

Victoria's voice was low as she slid a card to him across the table.

"I have to pick up Hunter from school. Call me when you've had time to think about what you want to do. Hunter needs to know."

Booth watched as she gathered her belongings and left the café. How could he be expected to make a decision like this? A little girl's life was sitting in his hands and he didn't know what to do with it.

"Hey Angela, do you think you could do me a favour?"

Angela spun on her seat, a wide grin on her face.

"For my favourite FBI agent? Sure. What's up?"

Booth rolled his eyes at her.

"You so don't want to know. I need you to push a paternity test through for me."

He laid the hairbrush as well as his toothbrush on her desk, watching as the smile was replaced with a frown.

"I think you've gone the wrong person for this favour Booth."

He crouched beside her chair, putting on his best charm smile.

"I heard you slept with Dave, the DNA guy."

Angela threw up her hands, a loud sigh escaping her.

"Is no one going to let me forget that? I had drunk too much! It's hardly me fault! He hit on me!"

"I thought maybe you could use your Angela charm to get this put through for me."

Angela narrowed her eyes at him before sighing loudly again.

"What is it you need exactly?"

"I need a paternity test done on these things. Do you think you could do that for me?"

"Of course. You want it kept quite right?"

"That would be appreciated. When do you think I can have the results?"

"Tomorrow morning. Can I ask what it's about?"

"I'll tell you when I know. Thanks Ange."

"Not a problem. I'll collect on that favour."

Booth laid a quick kiss on the top pf her head, giving her another warm smile.

"I know you will. Seeya later Angela."

He gave her a small wave before leaving the lab, his desire to be at home, to be alone with his thoughts making him almost break into a run.

The pizza Booth had ordered had gone cold a long time ago, the grease seeping into the fibres of the cardboard box, congealing at the base. He didn't even know why he had ordered it, he had absolutely no appetite. He had located the box that had been housed under his bed ever since he had moved in, the one that was filled with all the memories he and Victoria had shared, tipping them onto the living room table, where he now sat, beer in hand, going back to some of his happiest times. When his doorbell rung, he managed to pull himself out of his daydream, opening the door with more force then he had intended.

"Hey Booth."

Temperance stood, a six pack of beer in one had and a large block of chocolate in the other, a smile on her face.

"Hey Bones, come in."

She moved into the house, making herself comfortable on the sofa before breaking the foil seal on the block of chocolate, snapping it apart andthrowing a chunk to Booth.

"Angela said you seemed stressed when you talk to her today."

Booth settled himself beside her, watching as her sharp eyes took in the pictures littering the small table.

"I got some rather disturbing news today."

"Dare I ask?"

Booth sighed as he munched on the sweet, nutty chocolate. He picked upthe picture of himself and Victoria at their engagement party.

"I was engaged to her."

Temperance took the picture out of his hand, studying it carefully. She's pretty. You guys look so happy. What happened?"

"She left me for Paul Currin. Artist and sailor."

Temperance frowned as she swallowed her bite of chocolate, chasing it with a mouthful of beer.

"Ouch. That sucks."

"Tell me about it. It took me years to get over her and even then it was hard to think about her."

Temperance nodded as she broke off another piece of chocolate.

"I know what you mean, believe me."

Booth smiled at her, glad he wasn't the only one made to feel like a fool by someone he hadloved.

"Well, guess what?"

"What?"

"She says that I have a thirteen-year-old daughter, called Hunter."

Temperance stayed silent, just handed him another chunk of chocolate and a fresh beer, munching on her own thoughtfully.

"That's a hell of a thing to drop on someone. Let alone that she let thirteen years pass before she did anything about it. Did she say why she waited so long?"

Booth nodded as he sipped his beer.

"Apparently she was happy that Hunter had a father, no matter who it was. Only Paul found out she wasn't his and he hightailed it out of there. And she also says she's dying of stage three lung cancer. She only has a matter of months to live."

"Does she expect you to look after Hunter?"

"Yes. She laid on a huge guilt trip and everything. She seemed desperate."

"She is. She's dying and her daughter will have no one once she's one. You can kind of understand it all."

Booth nodded.

"I know. And I guess I will have to step up to the father plate again if she's mine. The last thing I want is for her to end up in foster care. She needs to be with family."

Temperance smiled.

"So that's why you talked to Angela. You needed her Dave connection didn't you?"

Booth smiled back.

"Guilty as charged. She was pissed when I mentioned it."

Temperance shrugged as she kicked off her shoes and curled up on the sofa.

"That's what she gets for sleeping with a co-worker at a work function. That is one drunken romp no one is going to ever let her forget."

Booth gave a small chuckle before popping open another two beers, handing one to Temperance, who handed him another bit of chocolate.

"I guess I'll see by morning if I'm a father again."

Temperance sipped her beer thoughtfully.

"You won't be sleeping tonight will you?"

"Highly unlikely."

"Want some company?"

Booth gave her a smile.

"That would be nice. Know how to play poker?"

"Of course."

Booth stood and got the poker kit he had been given a few years ago from the dining room cupboard, grateful for some sort of distraction.

"You want to be dealer Bones?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – New Kid In Town

Morning came far too soon. Booth was more then ready to know the results of the test but the again he was not quite prepared for the downfall such news would bring. Was happy to perhaps stay in the dark a little longer, taking comfort in the old familiar shadows there.

Temperance had fallen asleep somewhere near the 200th hand of poker; her chips piled high around her. If she had not fallen asleep, Booth would have been broke within a matter of two of three hands. That's what you get for playing poker with a smart, intelligent woman. They get you ever time. He had draped a rug over her, making sure she was warm before taking a seat near the window, waiting and watching the sunrise through the darkness, pulling with it a new day. What was he meant to tell Parker? What was he going to tell Rachel? And what about Hunter? Did her mother tell her what was going on or would she think that he had abandoned her on purpose, without a single thought to her? How the hell was he meant to suddenly become a father to a thirteen-year-old? He didn't even know how to talk to teenagers, let alone have one of his own. He was honestly scared about these results. Whatever they said would dictate the way his life was going to be from that moment on.

"Did you sleep at all?"

Temperance was awake now, rubbing her eyes with the balls of her hands, her hair in a mussed bunch on her head.

"The only one who slept was you. Need coffee?"

"Desperately."

Booth went into the kitchen and poured two larges mugs of coffee bringing them back into the living room to find Temperance staring at the empty chocolate packet, a frown on her face.

"Are you trying to make is reappear?"

"No, I'm trying to figure out why I do this to myself"

"Do what?"

"Go on my chocolate binges. Angela says it makes me human, I say it makes me fat."

Booth rolled his eyes at her as he set the coffee's down.

"The way you work, you have no fat left to burn. In fact you could slide behind a pole and I would never find you."

Temperance gave him a small smile before sipping her coffee, one hand struggling to fix her mussed hair.

"How are you feeling?"

Booth shifted on the couch.

"Honestly? Scared. All these questions with no answers is frustrating the hell out of me."

Temperance took a large gulp of coffee before standing up, hand on her hip.

"You'll find out soon enough. I'm going to go and make pancakes while you relax. Go have a shower or something. Do anything to take your mind off things ok?"

Booth nodded as he watched her move back to the kitchen, wondering if he even had the ingredients to make her well-intended pancakes.

Booth was trying to make his legs work but was failing miserably. He knew that Angela would have the results, knew that it was only a matter of time before he would have to confront his past head on. He had to keep reminding himself to breathe as he managed to take the steps towards Angela, had to remind himself to keep moving.

"Hey Ange."

He tried to keep his voice as casual as possible, tried to keep the fear and apprehension out of it. Angela smiled softly at him before handing over a single slip of paper. Booth's eyes ran down the words, his legs giving way beneath him so that he was sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the cold filing cabinet.

"Booth are you ok?"

He nodded and forced a smile onto his face, pushing himself back into a standing position.

"Fine. Thanks for this Ange."

Booth moved away before Angela could say anything else, almost moving on automatic towards Temperance's office, his legs unsteady beneath him. He didn't bother knocking, just walked in, dumping the results in front of her, watching as her sharp eyes moved back and forth across the page.

"Congratulations."

Booth said nothing, just sunk into the closest chair, his head falling between his hands.

"It's not how I thought it would be. Aren't I supposed to be happy? I have a daughter and all I can think about is how this affects me."

Temperance sighed as she closed the file in front of her, studying the results again.

"You're human, we're selfish by nature. At least now you get to decide what you're going to do."

"I have to call Victoria and tell her she was right."

Temperance smiled at him.

"I think she already knows that, she just wanted you to know that too. So what does this mean for you? Are you going to take Hunter in when her mom dies?"

Booth shrugged, not for the first time at a loss of what to think.

"I guess it's up to her, would she even want to? I mean, I have never met her before. What happens if she hates me?"

"Of course she will hate you, she's thirteen. When you're that age, the whole world seems like it's against you."

"Only in this case, maybe it is. How do you justify leaving a little girl an orphan?"

"She's not an orphan, she has you. And you have six months to from some sort of relationship with this girl. She's going to need you, whether she knows it or not. Losing your mother is the hardest thing in the world, no matter what age you are."

Booth had for a moment forgotten about Temperance's past. He didn't do it on purpose; he just sometimes failed to remember that beyond that tough, intelligent exterior was a vulnerable woman who had lost the same thing that Hunter was going to lose. At least Hunter had him, Temperance had no one after her brother had jumped ship.

"How in the world do I talk to a thirteen year old stranger?"

Temperance smiled slightly.

"Carefully."

As Booth sat inside his car, watching the people in the house, he remembered a time when he had felt the same kind of fear that was cursing in his veins. It wasn't the fear that came with picking up a gun, nor was it one that came with getting shot. It was a fear that came with becoming a parent. When Parker was born, he was so scared of what to make of this little person that he was now responsible for. He had made all the promises he was certain parents make to their children as well as to themselves, about how nothing was ever going to hurt him and if anyone so much as breathed on him, Booth would break them in two. Then Parker learnt to crawl, walk and then run, allowing all hell to break loose. He could remember clearly how his heart had stopped when Parker scraped his knee, tearing open the soft young skin, the big fat tears that had fallen from his eyes and his howls of pain. Then came falling off trees, bikes and the monkey bars at the playground. Each time Parker hurt himself, Booth would hold his breath, his heart racing in his chest. And each time Parker would dust himself off and move on to the next fun adventure. The fear for Parker never faded and Booth had a feeling that it never would. Being a parent was about having that fear for your child. But what disturbed Booth even more was his own fear of failure. He had made so many mistakes in his time and he didn't want one of them to be that he was a bad dad or that he had let Parker down in any way shape or form. That scared him more then facing any maniac with a gun.

Booth finally took a deep breath and moved out of the car and to the front steps of the house, knocking on the door firmly. It swung open and Booth was face with a pair of dark brown eyes that were identical to Parker's. Hunter was short for her age, with long dark hair and a wide mouth. She was wearing nothing but black and it made her look tired and pale. The girl just glared at him before opening the door wider and allowing him entry into the house. He didn't get a word out before a large German Shepard came rushing up to him, a low growl coming from it's throat.

"Bobby, sit."

The dog immediately sat, it's front paws coming to rest on Booth's shoes. He gave Victoria a tight smile.

"Good security system."

Victoria smiled back before ushering him into the living room. Booth took a seat facing the two women, feeling uncomfortable under Hunter's hard, teenage glare.

"Hunter knows."

Hunter glared at her mother.

"I'm in the room mother. I can speak for myself."

Victoria let out a sigh. Hunter turned back to Booth.

"So you never knew about me?"

Booth shook his head.

"No. Your mother never told me."

Hunter nodded before looking at her mother again.

"There, I met him and we had words. Happy? Can I go now?"

"Hunter, he's your father."

Hunter jumped up suddenly, her face a mask of fury.

"No, he's a sperm donor. My father is Paul Curran. You may remember him, he was your husband before you made him leave!"

Victoria jumped up to face her daughter, her breath coming in hard gasps.

"Your so called father left us, no one made him go!"

"Then why did he leave?"

Victoria shook her head, as she avoided her daughter's gaze.

"Why did he leave Mom?"

"I can't tell you Hunter. I won't let him hurt you too."

Hunter shook her head, her hair swaying angrily from side to side.

"Tell me. I have a right to know. Please tell me. You're always telling me I need to be mature and to stop acting like a child, so stop treating me like one! Why did he leave us?"

Victoria looked her daughter in the eyes, her words low and slow.

"He left when he discovered you were not biologically his."

The room fell into a stunned silence and Booth watched as the news sunk in, Hunter's face changing rapidly from anger to shock. Tears began to fall silently down her cheeks and Victoria made a move to hug her but Hunter moved away.

"I'm taking Bobby for a walk."

She marched silently out of the room and after a few moments Booth heard the front door close heavily behind her. Victoria sat heavily in her seat, her breathing tight. She reached to the side of the sofa and pulled out a small oxygen tank, switching it on as she slipped on the facemask. Booth watched her silently as her breathing eased and she switched off the tank, putting it back to its place next to the sofa. She fell into a fit of coughing before Booth could say anything, her hand clamped firmly over her mouth. He moved over to her side, offering her a glass of water. Her coughing finally subsided, her hand coming away from her mouth. Booth was surprised to see the blood that was pooled there, mixed in with green mucus and saliva. Victoria smiled at him slightly as she wiped her hand with a face cloth and took a deep swallow of water.

"Dying was never going to be pretty with lung cancer."

Booth shook his head at her.

"How can you joke?"

Victoria shrugged.

"It's better then crying and being bitter. All the tears in the world would not change the fact that I'm dying."

"Aren't you scared?"

"Not really. I've made my peace with it. Death is coming regardless of if it's now or in another twenty years. I just need to know that you'll be here for Hunter when she needs you."

Booth nodded as he watched his one time lover and friend wipe the blood off the corners of her mouth. It was really starting to hit home that he was going to lose is life as he knew it. And he didn't quite know if he was ready for it.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N - This was harder to write then I thought it would be but once I got started I needed to get to the end before I stopped writing. I hope you all find this as good as the last two...Enjoy and reveiw..._

Chapter Three – Being With You

He always enjoyed hanging out with Temperance. She was often stiff and focused at work, but here, outside of work she was relaxed and even happy. And she was getting on very well with Hunter, which is what he wanted. Temperance was a huge part of his life, as was Hunter, if they got on then he would be fine. He watched as they talked about movies and music, happy to see Hunter happy after such a hard week. After Victoria's announcement over Booth being Hunter's father, her health had gone drastically down hill, and within two weeks, Booth had been forced to move into the house with Hunter and Bobby, trying to keep Hunter in school and doing her homework. She didn't make it easy though and Booth found himself pushing her harder then he had wanted too, trying to get her approval on everything. But this dinner with Temperance was by far the best idea he had ever had. When dinner was over, the dishes done and Hunter sent upstairs to bed, Booth handed Temperance a glass of red wine and settled himself next to her on the sofa.

"Hunter's a sweet girl."

Booth smiled.

"You saw her on a good night. Often she's like the devil incarnate."

Temperance smiled back.

"Yeah, well she's thirteen, what more can you expect?"

"You can't have been like that when you were thirteen surely."

Temperance shook her head and Booth could almost see her running through her memories.

"I was worse. I was smoking, ditching school and being a right little brat to my parents. Oh and I wore black all the time. I hated everyone and everything."

Booth laughed as he imagined a little Temperance in nothing but black, sulking in the corner.

"You sound like a handful."

"I was."

"But you grew out of it obviously."

"Just after my parents disappeared, before Russ left me I got over that initial anger and was just beginning to enjoy being a nerd who loved books and science."

"I hope Hunter bounces back just as quickly as you did."

Temperance shook her head, her voice soft, and her eyes on the flames dancing in the fireplace.

"You never get over your parents dying Booth. She'll heal but the scar, hurt and anger will properly always be there. She misses out on all the things that her girlfriends get to do with their mothers."

"Are you still angry about your parents?"

"Yes. I hate them for leaving Russ and me, for allowing me to end up in foster care. But Hunter is lucky."

"Why?"

"She has you."

Booth felt the warm glow of pride he usually associated with comments about Parker, felt the slight flush from the compliment. If Temperance, a wise, intelligent and ferociously truthful woman, thinks that he could do it, then he could. Temperance drained the last of the wine from her glass, before standing and putting on her coat.

"I had better go."

"Are you ok to drive? Do you want me to call you a cab?"

Temperance punched him lightly in the arm as she opened the front door.

"I'll be fine worry wart. Thank you for dinner."

"Not a problem."

And here was the awkward part that seems to always arrive at the end of their time together. They weren't on a date despite the fact it felt like one but they were hardly just friends anymore. There was something more growing there, and neither of them seemed to know what it was. Booth took the chance and leaned forward slightly, pressing his lips to the soft skin of her cheek, allowing himself to linger a moment, inhaling the smell of her apple shampoo.

"Night Bones."

She smiled softly at him before slipping out the door. He stayed in the doorway, waiting till she had driven around the corner before finally closing it.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Hunter was sitting quietly on the steps, Bobby beside her.

"No she's not."

"Then why did you kiss her?"

At thirteen, Hunter seemed to have a knack of knowing when someone was lying to her and Booth could tell that she knew that something was going on between himself and Temperance.

"I was saying good night."

Hunter nodded in a way that made him feel like a fool before frowning at him.

"Why did you stop loving Mom?"

Booth, staling for time, approached the stairs and sat on the one below Hunter's.

"People change and we just didn't change together, that's all. It happens sometimes."

Hunter fixed her big eyes on him.

"Is that why my dad stopped loving me? Because I changed?"

Hunter was far from the perfect child and Booth would often find himself driven to despair by the way she acted but he had still fallen in love with her. She was intelligent and quick, far from what he had ever expected. She was far more then he had expected. He struggled to understand how anyone could just up and leave her after thirteen years of knowing her. He wouldn't leave her and he had only known her for a couple of months.

"I don't know what happened with him Hunter, but he doesn't deserve to have you think about him ok? You need to focus on your mom and your school work and nothing else."

Hunter nodded, her dark hair falling in front of her face, making her look even younger. Booth gave her knee a quick squeeze before giving her a smile.

"You should be in bed, it's school tomorrow."

Hunter gave him a smile back before turning and heading to her room. Booth went back into the living room, poured himself another red wine and removed the file he had stored on the coffee table. It was all the paperwork he had to complete to legally adopt Hunter as well as to inherit all of the money that Victoria had saved for her daughter's future. She had opened six different accounts and in total it was almost two million dollars, more then enough to make sure that Hunter would always be looked after financially. There was a college account, health account, living expenses, clothing account, travel account for her when she was twenty-one and a general account. Her insurance company was paying all of her medical costs so that left Booth's responsible for the money. He felt uncomfortable doing all of this before Victoria had died, but the lawyers had insisted that it was better to be quick about these things or Paul could come and lay claim to some of it, which Booth didn't need. It was a lot of money but Hunter was going to need it. He had already decided to send her to some sort of counselling when Victoria passed on, to help her cope with how her life was going to change. He also wanted to go away for a little bit; somewhere sunny with her to give her a break from all of the pity that comes with losing someone you love, especially when you are so young. There was also the deed to the house that he had to sort out as well, find out whether Hunter wanted to live here even when her mom died or if she wanted to go somewhere else. There was so much to do and not much time at all to do it in. Sighing, Booth set to the task of writing his name and date of birth over and over again.

Feeling a little lost when he had first started staying here, Booth had installed a little tradition that was just his and Hunter's. On Saturday's they would go and get a couple of DVD's and watch them until quite late Sunday morning before finally going to bed. It was a fun way to spend time together that didn't feel surrounded by pressure and Booth discovered an interesting thing about Hunter. She was obsessed about movies. She could tell you some fact about almost every movie, the rating that most critics had given it, who directed it, wrote it and starred in it and what she herself and thought of it. She especially loved anything by Alfred Hitchcock. He had picked up a remake of the Psycho one Saturday and she had just rolled her eyes at him before picking up the originally.

"First lesson Seeley: Always go for the original over the remake."

He had smiled and continued to browse. They had also discovered a shared love of comedies and action, both deciding that Jim Carrey and Steven Segal had one these respective king titles. Hunter also loved the horrors that Booth found disturbing, the manic dolls and killer stalkers made her laugh and point out the things that made no scenes.

"The blood's too bright!"

"You don't scream like that!"

"Who would run down a dead end alley when a killer is after them?"

"Surely a head doesn't come off that easily? It would take a little more work then that."

"The dead body just breathed! Complete and utter crap!"

Booth was too busy trying not to cry out every time there was a flash of a knife or a masked mad man to comment at her yells. He had only seen her truly terrified when they had decided to get out Jaws one weekend. He had seen it in the movie theatre when he was younger, remembering how brave he felt as he snuck in, planning on having a hell of a good time. Ten minutes in and he was ready to never go to the beach again, to never set foot on a boat. For a movie made in the 1970's, it was terrifying. He had watched her out of the corner of his eye as she had jumped when the shark lunged out of the water, watched her body go stiff when that terrible music started. Only when the credits began to roll did she relax and flash Booth a wide smile.

"That was awesome! I hardly ever get scared like that!"

Booth loved the tentative bond that they were forming, loved the feeling that he got when he was around her, enjoyed finally being able to be her father.

They were watching a shared favourite of their's 'Ace Venture: Pet Detective' when the phone call came. Booth had answered, one eye on the TV as he said hello.

"Is this Seeley Booth?"

"Yes."

"My name is Maria and I'm a nurse here at Chance clinic. I needed to call you and tell you that Victoria Redman has gone down hill rather rapidly."

Booth didn't say anything, just placed the phone gently back in its cradle. Hunter had turned to movie off and gave Booth a sad look.

"It's mom isn't it?"

Booth nodded and watched as Hunter pushed herself out of her seat and ran up the stairs, reappearing a second later with a backpack and Bobby by her side.

"We're ready"

"We can't take Bobby in the hospital."

Hunter narrowed her eyes at him.

"Mom found Bobby on the side of the road when he was just three weeks old. He had almost no hair and could fit into the palm of her hand. She nursed him night and day until he was strong. Bobby has a right to say good bye as well."

Hunter was standing in the familiar pose that was clearly her mother's, the stubbornness rolling off her in waves. Booth nodded and they went out to his truck and drove to the hospital. Ever since she had been admitted, Booth had taken Hunter to see her mother almost everyday after school, especially at night, when he knew that Victoria was the most lonely. She was looking fine when they were here on Friday morning before school, but now her body had shrunk, her skin a horrible shade of yellow and her breathing was gaspy and jutted. Hunter had lead the way into the room, the one and only nurse at the desk giving them a smile, ignoring the other four legged visitor. Hunter had also ignored the machines that were dotted around her mother's bed, slipping her body beneath all the wires to lay at her mother's side, Bobby leaping up and taking the other, his head resting on Victoria's hip, next to her hand.

"Hey baby. I missed you."

Victoria kissed the top pf Hunter's head, her hand stroking her daughter's hair.

"I missed you too mom. Is it true?"

"I'm dying honey. It won't be long now."

Hunter nodded against her mother's side. Booth could feel tears burning behind his eyes as he fished a few dollars out of his pocket.

"Hunter, do you want to go and get a soda? I want to speak to your mom for a sec."

Hunter nodded and slipped off the bed, glancing at her mom.

"Do you want anything mom?"

"You know what honey? I would love a coke."

Hunter smiled and walked out of the room, leaving Booth a space to sit on the bed next to Victoria.

"I got the papers back today Victoria. I've officially adopted Hunter."

Victoria smiled and Booth could see a little of the light go back into her eyes.

"Good. Did you take care of all of the paperwork for the bank as well?"

"Yup. Paul will not get a cent. All of it will go to Hunter, just like you wanted."

Victoria smiled again, her hand coming to rest on Booth's. It felt frail and Booth could see the veins and feel the bones tracing beneath the thin skin.

"Thank you Booth. For everything. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"At least you told me. I would have hated for her to end up in foster care."

"Me too. I want something so much better for her. She could go so far."

Booth pushed some hair off Victoria's face.

"And she will, I promise. She's like you, stubborn as hell. She insisted that we bring Bobby in with us."

Bobby whined at the sound of his name, moving a little closer to Victoria, who buried her hand into his thick soft fur.

"I'm glad you did. I told Hunter I wanted him here with her for this. He's her best friend and mine."

Booth laid a quick kiss on the back of her hand, keeping it clasped gently in his, letting the memories of their rime together wash over him. Like the time her parents had caught them skinny dipping in their pool, or when he proposed after they both had to have their stomachs pumped thanks to some seriously bad seafood. She may have broken his heart, but they were happy together at one time and that's what he wanted to hold onto. Hunter came back into the room, three sodas and a bowl full of water in her hands.

"Sally said that Bobby needed water as well. She also said that she's coming in to adjust your meds soon."

She handed Booth a coke before placing her own on the table beside her mother's bed. She cracked the final can open, popping in a straw before offering it to her mother.

"Booth, can you give me a hand to sit up?"

Booth helped her adjust the pillows before she sipped on the coke with a happy sigh.

"That is really good. They haven't let me have any of that while I've been in here."

Hunter took her place next to her mom again and Booth slipped quietly out of the room, in search of a nurse. He found one behind the desk and realised it was the same one that Hunter must have talked too.

"Hey Sally. Can I talk to you for a second about Victoria Redman?"

"Sure. You're Seeley Booth right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because Miss Redman specified that you were allowed full access to her medical records if required. What do you need to know?"

"How long has she got?"

"Judging by how she's going, it's only a matter of hours."

Booth nodded again and gave Sally a small smile before returning to the room. He leant down and gave Victoria a quick kiss on the cheek, his mouth close to her ear.

"I'll always love you Victoria. And I promise to look after the both of them forever."

"I love you too Seeley. And I know you will."

Victoria and Booth exchanged a smile before he left the room again, settling himself on a chair outside of the room, to allow mother and daughter some precious moments together. He saw Hunter reach into her backpack and pull out a tattered looking book and begin to read out loud, her voice carrying on the still hospital air. Booth recognised the beginning of the last chapter of Jane Eyre, Victoria's favourite book, pausing to sip at her coke, offering her mother a drink as well. Booth felt comforted by the fact that he had finally said goodbye and that he didn't lie to her. Some part of his heart will always belong to her but the passion that he had always associated to their relationship was long gone, and he did love her, just not in the way he once did. She was his first love and always will be.

The machines started bleeping a few hours later and Booth rushed into the room to find Hunter slowly switching them off, tears falling down her cheeks. She took her place back on the bed and clutched at her mother as sobs over took her, Bobby crying softly beside her. Victoria was dead, Hunter had lost her mother and Booth didn't know what to do with himself. So he let the tears fall from his own eyes, taking a seat at the end of the bed, his hand resting lightly on Hunter's leg.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N - The end is nigh and I'm a little sad to see it coming. One more chapter to go and then that will be it. I had a hard time deciding just how to end this story. Do I do the fluffy ducks ending or do I kill everyone off and leave it at that? What I decided, you will find out soon enough but in the meantime read and review this chapter for me...:) Oh and before I forget, this beautiful song is one of my new favourites. It's called 'Chasing Cars' and is by Snow Patrol. Take a listen, it's awesome. _

Chapter Four – Message To My Girl 

"What do you want to do with your life Hunter?"

Booth watched as she pasted another page to her large science project, one that was about the disease that took her mother just a few days ago.

"Make movies. Good ones, not the crap ones. Alfred Hitchcock, Jaws type movies. Why?"

Her head stayed down as she carefully added neat notes before sticking on a picture of a severely diseased lung.

"Your teacher said that you didn't have to do that right?"

"Yes but mom wanted it done. I could get an A for this Seeley. It's important to me and mom."

Booth smiled at her as she continued to work. The funeral was tomorrow and Hunter was determined to get the project done before dinner. It contained graphic pictures about lung cancer as well as a picture of Victoria in her final days of fighting with the disease. Hunter had a gut, that much was clear. How many thirteen year olds would stand in front f their classmates and tell them about the disease that killed their mother?

"Why do you want to know what I wanted to do with my life?"

"I'm interested. "

"Fair enough."

Silence fell as Booth continued to watch her work on the project, occasionally passing her the bits she required next, helping her press things down so they would stick. Every once and awhile he would see a facial expression that reminded him of Victoria, as well as that wide grin that was completely her mother's, the same smile that had been absent recently. Booth could only spot a bit of himself here and there; Hunter was definitely her mother's daughter. After a little while, Booth left her to the last odds and ends while he went and got dinner ready, something light and easy considering what they both had to face tomorrow.

Victoria had planned her funeral just a few months after he got her final diagnosis, so all Booth had to do was get Hunter there. The music Victoria had chosen was playing softly in the background, and Booth recognised a few of the songs they had had at their engagement party, even the one that was playing when they had their first kiss. Hunter sat quietly at his side, a bit of paper in her hand. She had insisted on saying something and Booth didn't argue. This was the last chance for her to say goodbye to her mother. Most of the people there were stranger's to Booth but he had seen Temperance slip in earlier, settling herself in the back of the church, away from the main action near the front. He was glad she was there. The priest began to speak and Booth turned his attention to what the older man was saying about Victoria, smiling at some of the things he said about her, his eyes flicking to the smiling picture that sat above her coffin. When he asked people to come up and say something about her, Hunter moved before anyone else and settled herself behind the microphone. Hunter cleared her throat, her eyes scanning the crowd before she began to speak.

"My mom always hated how people always told lies at funerals. That people could only remember the good stuff and not the bad. I promised her that I would not lie. My mom kept a lot from me when I was growing up, like who my real father was. She was stubborn and sometimes forgot that the whole world did not revolve around her. She was flawed, as most people are. She died from a horrible disease that could have destroyed her but it made her stronger instead. It made her a better mother and it taught me a lot about myself and my own strength. This song you are about to hear is one that has always reminded me of my mother and what she went through and just how much I already miss her. Thank you."

The opening bars to the sone began as Hunter took her seat next to Booth again, her head coming to rest lightly on his shoulder.

We'll do it all  
Everything  
On our own

We don't need  
Anything  
Or anyone

If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know  
How to say  
How I feel

Those three words  
Are said too much  
They're not enough

If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told  
Before we get too old  
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time  
Chasing cars  
Around our heads

If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told  
Before we get too old  
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am  
All that I ever was  
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where  
Confused about how as well  
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here  
If I just lay here  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Victoria was buried in a nice plot that sat atop a gentle slope, with only her daughter and past love to witness the dirt falling upon her, the dark soil taking away that they had once loved so dearly. Hunter slipped her small hand into Booth's, her body shaking slightly as she cried, the tears falling down her cheeks in steady unison. Booth allowed his tears to fall as well, finally allowing himself to admit that his life would change all over again. He heard Temperance's light footsteps come to rest beside him as she took his other hand, kissing the back lightly before leaning her body into his. They stood for a while and watched the morning sun turn into the darker afternoon shade, the light casting shadows over the small trio.

Six months later…………… 

Booth felt sick. He looked at the neatly set table and felt the wave of nausea deepen.

"Cakes done. Double chocolate, decorated with M&M's. Booth it's going to be great. Relax."

He gave Temperance a small smile as a knock came at the door and Parker came barrelling into the room, throwing himself at Booth.

"Hey buddy!"

Parker started to chat excitedly as he mother waved goodbye and shut the door quietly behind her.

"Daddy, I made Hunter the best present ever."

"You made her a present?"

Parker nodded seriously as he carefully lifted the gift up to Booth's eye level. He had obviously wrapped it as well, the excess Sellotape and unsealed edges a clear sign.

"That's great. Want to put it on the table with the other's?"

Parker nodded and slipped out of his father's grasp before gently placing the bright green box on the table, flashing Temperance a bright, toothy grin.

"Hi Tempe."

"Hey Parker. Wanna help me whip the cream?"

Parker looked serious for a second.

"Can I lick the bowl when we're done?"

"If you do a good job, sure."

Parker dashed into the kitchen, allowing the adults to have a moment alone.

"She's going to love it Booth."

Booth released a loud breath, trying to loosen the knots in his stomach.

"I hate feeling like this."

"Like what?"

"Out of control. This is her first birthday without her mom and her first with me. What if I stuff it up?"

Temperance bit her lip before stepping forward and pulling Booth into a hug, their bodies pressed together intimately. It only took him a second before his hands came to rest on her lower back, a place they had been a million times before. She counted to 20 under her breath, resisting the urge to kiss the pulse in his neck, the one that raced against her own. She pulled back with a smile and moved into the kitchen, hoping that Parker had left them some cream to go with the dessert. Booth stood rooted to the spot before a soft smile made it's way across his face. Everything would be fine if Temperance kept hugging him like that.

It was another two hours before the large yellow school bus came to a stop outside of the house and Hunter made her way across the front lawn, pausing at the baby peach tree. The day after Victoria's funeral, Booth had gone and brought a baby peach tree and planted it in the front garden, near the dining room window. Victoria had always loved peaches, so it seemed to be a fitting tribute. Booth had asked Angela for a favour and had gotten her to design a little metal plate that ran across the centre of the trunk with Victoria's name, date of birth and death, as well as a little quote form Jane Eyre. Hunter did her homework by the tree every afternoon, Bobby sitting closely beside her, and Booth could often hear her chatting to her mother, telling her about what was going on at school and with her friends. It seemed to help her. Hunter pressed her hand gently to the tree before continuing to the front door, pushing it open and almost colliding with the trio standing next to the dinner table filled with food.

"Happy Birthday!"

Hunter grinned at them as she let her bag fall off of her shoulder and land on the floor with a dull thud.

"You did this for me?"

Booth nodded and watched as she took in the small pile of presents and the food, her smile getting wider.

"Do you like it?"

Hunter nodded and wrapped her arms around him. Booth kissed the top of her head and breathed in the fresh fragrances of her shampoo and the scents that she had brought back from school.

"I'm glad."

Hunter took the seat that Temperance guided her too and Parker threw himself onto his sister's lap, his present in his hands again.

"Open mine first!"

Hunter smiled widely at him and began to pull off the wrapping. Booth loved watching the two of them together. It didn't matter that there was a few years between them, or that they had been separated for so long, they acted as if they had always been together. They played card games, Hunter was teaching him how to play chess and he was teaching her the right way to read Dr Seuss. Hunter smiled as she pulled out a lime green and fluoro pink framed mirror, the paper Mache knobbled and uneven. Parker laughed as Hunter pretended to check her reflection, pulling faces in the bright glass.

"I love it Parker. Thank you. Wanna help me open the rest?"

Parker nodded as he pulled Temperance's gift closer to them.

"This one is from Tempe."

Hunter gave Temperance a quick smile before pulling back the wrapping, revealing a plain white box. Taking off the lid, Hunter let out a small squeal. Temperance had no idea what to get a thirteen-year-old girl, so at the end of her idea tether, she had poked her head into Hunter's room. The result was a large box filled with a variety of make-up, hair dyes, funky rings that Angela had helped her pick up, nail polishes of every colour that she could get her hands on and a couple of CD vouchers.

"I know it's not much but I didn't know what to get you."

Hunter shook her head as she rifled through the little treasure trove.

"This is perfect Tempe. Thank you very much."

Parker was shifted from her lap as she came and gave Temperance a hug before moving back to her place for her final present. Booth handed her a slim white envelope and smiled at the frown on Hunter's face as she pulled it open. A large, colourful pamphlet fell onto the table and Hunter picked it up, taking a second to read it quietly. When she was finished she checked the envelope again and pulled out a letter, reading that with the same silence. She seemed to want to assure herself that it was for real, because she went back and reread both before she began to smile again.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Depends. What do you think it is?"

"An acceptance letter to the selective movie camp in the country, quite possibly the world."

"Not really an acceptance letter yet. We still need to go to an interview with the head of the camp but if we get through that that, you are in for twelve weeks of learning to make movies. What do you think?"

Hunter just nodded as she started to cry. As she continued to thumb through the pamphlet, Booth pulled out the final gift. The one that he had spent hours trying to find the perfect one.

"If you go to movie camp, you're going to need this."

He put the camcorder in front of her and winced when Hunter screamed and immediately became to examine it end to end, pressing all the buttons and playing with the zoom. She threw herself at Booth and wrapped him into a tight hug.

"Thank you Dad."

Booth felt his heart stop as she used the title for the first time. He liked how it sounded coming from her. He was finally her dad.

"Your welcome. Let's have some cake, huh?"

It was a long afternoon filled with excitement but finally Hunter and Parker went to bed, leaving Temperance and Booth with the fun of the clean up. When the kitchen and dining room was clean again, they settled themselves in the living room with a large glass of wine.

"I told you it would be good."

Booth smiled as he sipped at his wine.

"Ok. You are right, I was wrong."

Temperance nodded happily as she curled her legs under her, her head coming to rest on her hand.

"Told you so. I thought that she would never put that camera down."

"Me either. After having that thing shoved in my face, I was regretting getting it for her. I guess now the rest of our lives will be filmed."

"Do you think she'll get into the camp?"

"Yes. The director was interested in meeting her and you know Hunter, she leaves an impression. Did you read the pamphlet?"

Temperance shook her head and Booth whistled between his teeth.

"It sounds great. They spend twelve weeks making a movie then they have a film festival for the families. Three judges pick the top four and they are given scholarships to Alfred Collins Movie Academy. It's a fantastic school that covers all of the things she needs to make movies. It's an awesome opportunity for her."

"And if she doesn't win?"

"Victoria left enough money for her to go without the scholarship, I just thought it would be nice for Hunter to win in her own merit."

"And then you can stand back and be the proud dad."

"I already am. I don't think I could be prouder of Hunter and Parker. They're good kids."

"That they are."

A comfortable silence fell as they sipped their wine, each lost in their own thoughts.

"I want to say thank you Bones."

Temperance frowned at him.

"Why? What did I do?"

"You've been here for Hunter and I when we needed you most. I really appreciate that."

Temperance shrugged.

"You are always there for me when I need you, so this makes us even."

Booth, purely on impulse, allowed his hand to settle on the side of her face, his thumb resting lightly on her jawbone. It seemed to become a mutual movement as they moved closer together until they were a mere inch or so apart.

"Do you think this is a good idea?"

Temperance's was hot as it danced over Booth's face.

"I don't think this is a good time to be analysing Bones."

"Ok."

They pressed their lips together, the kiss soft and slow as they enjoyed the new heat and sensation. The kiss soon deepened and turned to one of passion and desperation. They had to come up for air and smiled breathlessly at each other.

"Wow."

"Tell me about it. I have a question for you."

Temperance toyed with the collar of Booth's shirt.

"What's that?"

"Stay the night."

"That doesn't sound like a question."

"That's not the point. I'm more interested with the answer."

"The kids are just upstairs."

"You're stalling."

"Do you think that that's a good idea?"  
Booth took her hands in his, kissing the knuckles lazily before he smiled at her.

"I want you to stay the night. I want to be with you."

Temperance smiled back and they kissed again. By the time they came up for air again, her mind had been made up.

"Do you sleep on the left side or the right?"

Booth laughed.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not terribly interested in sleeping."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N - So it's almost done. I don't want it ot be but it is. I am working on the last part as I write this, which I will hoprfully post tonight after work. The last two chapters have been a breeze to write and I hope that you have enjoyed where I have taken you in this story. As always reviews are welcome..._

Chapter Five - You Oughta Be In Love

It was the best and worst twelve weeks of his whole life. He had never been put into a situation where he loved and hated something at the same time, so it was difficult the first time around. He missed Hunter terribly and kept finding himself in her position under the peach tree, which was now not quite so small. It had grown in leaps and bounds in the last couple of months and Booth could see the buds that would become peaches by the time Christmas rolled around. Hunter wrote regularly as well as phoned once a week but not even hearing her voice could make him miss her any less. Parker was driving him crazy, drilling him over when his big sister was coming back from camp. He knew that the camp was the perfect place for her, but he wished that he could be selfish and keep her at home forever, where he could enjoy her company. There was a bonus to her being away though. Since that night after Hunter's birthday party, the night that their friendship became something much more, he and Temperance had rarely been apart. Hunter and Parker accepted this in their stride and when he had quizzed Hunter, asking her if she was ok with the situation, she had all but laughed in his face.

"Dad, she's been here since the beginning. She's been part of the family for a long time now. You just needed to make it more official."

Bit by bit, he sacrificed more and more of his wardrobe and draw space until they both realized that Temperance having two homes was utterly ridiculous and so with a quite air of excitement, they had moved in the last of her stuff. Angela had all but screamed when they finally told her that they had moved in together, hugging them both before going off muttering about collecting money that people owed her. He loved having so much time with Temperance but he missed Hunter with a hunger that was usually reserved for Parker. So when the invitation for the film festival finally arrived, Booth had to stop himself from driving down to the camp the moment he had it in his hot little hands. There were restricted seating so only parents or guardians were expected to attend and Hunter had made the invitation out to him and Temperance, again cementing their relationship. When he had told Temperance the invitation had arrived, she gave him a secret smile and resumed doing the laundry. Booth knew that she had been keeping something from him for weeks, and after assuring him that it was not a bad thing, in fact it was good, he had relaxed a little. It was driving him crazy but at least he knew that it was the good kind of surprise. He now just had to wait on pins and needles for one more week before he got to see Hunter's film, know what the surprise is and get to hold his little girl again.

He spotted Hunter amongst the group of teenagers and was surprised just how much she had changed in twelve weeks. She had gotten a whole lot taller, her arms and legs gangly and out of proportion with the rest of her. Her hair had gotten a whole lot longer and her face had filled out slightly, she had put on some much needed weight. She looked happy and healthy. He kept himself at a slight trot as he approached her, pulling her into a tight hug, inhaling her familiar scent, which was now induced with country air and sunshine.

"I missed you."

Hunter, who didn't seem to care that her friends were watching the pair closely, hugged Booth back, her face buried in his chest.

"I missed you too Dad. Where's Tempe?"

"Parking the car. I couldn't wait to see you. Parker sends you his love. He wanted me to give you this."

Booth pulled out a picture and letter that Parker had shoved in his pocket before they had left, his face serious as he made his father promise to give it too her as soon as he got to the camp.

"He so wanted to come."

"I know. But I didn't think he could sit still for thirty-two films. Hey Tempe!"

Hunter ran and threw her arms around Temperance, who had just come over the clearing, her smile bright as she returned Hunter's enthusiastic hug, kissing the top of her head, which now sat just under her chin.

"Jeez you've gotten tall."

Hunter blushed before she glanced at Booth.

"Dad can I talk to Tempe for a second?"

"Sure."

"You can talk to Andrew if you like."

"Who's Andrew?"

Hunter gave him a sweet smile as a tall boy with floppy brown hair stepped forward.

"My boyfriend."

Booth hated the boy instantly, purely out of principle. He shook the boy's hand and began to drill him, somehow knowing that this will not be the last boy that he would ever do this too.

Temperance followed Hunter down the slope, away from her father and group of friend's, sitting on the cool green grass next to her.

"How can I help?"

"I need a favour."

"Really?"

Hunter chewed her lip as she concentrated hard on her shoes, her words coming out in a rush.

"IgotmyperiodandIneedtogetsomepadswhenIgethomeaswellasatraingbraandIwaswonderingifyoucouldcomeandhelpme."

Temperance laughed.

"Sorry Hunter but you're going to have to slow down. Start again."

"I got my period."

"Congratulations. I think."

Hunter flushed slightly as her eyes finally met Temperance's.

"And I got boobs. They came out of nowhere. I was wondering if when we got home we could go and do some shopping for some girl things."

Temperance smiled and put her arm around Hunter.

"Sure honey. Do you have the stuff you need now?"

Hunter nodded.

"Yeah one of the girls in my cabin has had her period for over a year and she gave me something's to use. Just promise me you won't tell dad, ok?"

"I promise. So have you enjoyed camp?"

Hunter nodded, a grin coming over her face.

"I love it here. I wish I could stay. But I want to go home too. Dad said that mom's peach tree is big now."

"Yeah it is. We should have peaches by Christmas. How about you Parker and I make some crumbles and preserve some when they are ready? That way we can eat them all year."

"Sounds good."

Temperance stood and pulled Hunter up to stand beside her.

"We had better get up there before your father does something to that boyfriend of your's."

Hunter laughed and they walked side-by-side back up the slope in time to see Booth laughing at something Andrew said.

Booth had settled himself in a seat between Hunter and Temperance, holding hands with both of them as parents finally sorted themselves out with their seats. When all were seated, an older looking woman came onto the stage, her hair pulled back by a colourful bandana, her legs long and brown beneath her pink shorts. She looked a lot younger then Booth suspected she actually was.

"Welcome parents to Dylan Spielberg film camp. Today and tomorrow you will see the results of the twelve weeks of hard work that all of your children have had to endure while here. They had to either produce a documentary or a movie, write their own scripts, edit and finalise their projects. They also had to come up with a name for their production company, as well as a logo for them to be represented by. It's not as easy as it sounds and it was through pure hard work and dedication that each project was made. As you all know, the products will be judged by three judges who are very involved in the film industry. They will pick the top four films and the students who made them get exclusive scholarships to the Arnold Collins Film Academy."

This got a burst of applause from some of the parents but all the kids who were chattering excitedly.

"So please sit back and enjoy the hard work that your children have been involved in."

The room darkened and the first film began to roll. It was a murder mystery that had a rather complex plot and Booth found himself enjoying it immensely. The next was a romance, as was the one after that. The next production logo gave the maker away. It was a sun with bold writing across the centre that read 'Redman/Booth Productions' and Booth could feel the grips on both of his hands tighten

Hunter's voice floated from the speakers as a picture of her as a baby came onto the screen, italics across it proclaiming the name of the film as 'My Life Thus Far'.

_"I was born on a normal day in March 12th 1990. There was nothing eventful or remotely exciting about my birth. All the excitement came thirteen years later."_

Another picture came onto the screen, this one of an older Hunter, Paul, Victoria and a very small Bobby.

_"This was my family a little over eighteen months ago. Pretty average. Mother, father, child and dog. We even had the white picket fence. But that all changed when my mom came home with some shocking news."_

A picture of Victoria and Booth came onto the screen, one that he instantly recognised as being taken on the day of their engagement party.

_"This is Seeley Booth. FBI agent, ex-military and my biological father. He didn't know that my mom was pregnant and she never bothered to tell him. I never knew about him either. When my mother told Paul, the man who I thought was my father, he upped and left us."_

A red slash went through the picture, crossing Paul out. That picture was replaced with one of just Hunter, Victoria and Bobby.

_"So we became a happy little trio. We got a new house and I started my new school. We were happy, we were fine. Then my mom found out she had lung cancer."_

This time the picture made Booth recoil slightly. It was one of Victoria just before she died, pale and gaunt, half her size and fragile.

_"By the time they had found it, it was too late for any kind of medical help. So my mom did what any other desperate person would do. She set out to find my real father. She explained to me later it was because that I needed someone when she died and I can happily agree now. But back then, I hated her for it."_

The next picture admitted a splatter of laughter from the audience as a picture of grumpy goth Hunter. She looked ridiculous.

_"So I went from having a mom and a dad to having just a mom then finding out my dad was not really my dad at all. That was when I met Seeley Booth."_

This time a current picture of Booth came onto the screen, his face blank and serious as he was an official photo.

_"Nice enough guy I suppose. But I didn't want anything to do with him. Unfortunately, as my mother got worse, I was forced to live with him. And that was when I met Temperance Brennan."_

A picture of Temperance that Booth himself had taken at Hunter's birthday did her more justice then his had. Her hair was ruffled and she was in the middle of laughing, her mouth wide, her eyes twinkling.

_"She is a very cool chick. Not only is she an author, but she totally gets black and white movies. She was the one who convinced me to give Seeley a chance, that he was a pretty cool guy if you let him be. So I did and we became friends. Then my mother died."_

This time the picture was that of Victoria's coffin, the flowers and mourners milling around it.

_"I was mad when my mom left. I felt lost and I didn't know what to do with myself. But this was where Seeley came in again."_

The next picture was of the peach tree. Victoria's peach tree.

_"My mom loved peaches. So Seeley went and got a peach tree for us to plant. It made things easier. I was able to talk to mom through that tree and when we get peaches from it, I will feel even closer to her."_

The next picture was one that was taken the day before Hunter went off to camp. It was of Parker, Temperance, Booth and Bobby, all-smiling happily into the camera.

_"This is my family now. I have a little brother now called Parker. He's almost five and he's a great kid. He's really smart. I always wanted a sibling and now I have one that I actually like! Not many people can say that!"_

There was no picture this time, just Hunter sitting in a seat, smiling widely at the camera as she shifted slightly.

_"I'm glad that Seeley is my father. I trust him completely and I know that he will never leave me if he could help it. So that's why I set up a surprise for him. I went with Temperance to the place where they do birth certificates and changed my last name. I am now Hunter Rebekah Redman-Booth. I miss my mother dearly but in her death I gained more then I could ever imagine. So folks, this is my life thus far."_

And with that the screen went blank and a small piece of dedication came up.

_For Victoria_

_1973 – 2006_

Booth felt the lump in his throat and was happy for the darkness of the theatre. He didn't really fancy crying in front of everybody.

Over the next two days, Booth watched the rest of the movies, totally convinced that Hunter's was one of the best in the lot. So when the final movie came to an end and the applause died down, the same lady who introduced the films came onto the stage.

"And that's all folks. All the hard work all of your children have invested have been laid before you. We will break for lunch and then come back to hear the judges ruling, so to speak."

Booth left with everyone else and ate about as much as Hunter, which was not much. He was nervous for her. Temperance gave them both a big hug as they entered back into the theatre and sat between them, holding their hands in hers. The three people that Booth presumed were the judges came to stand on the stage, and almost as if it were the Emmy's or something, opened an envelope and began to speak.

"While all the film's were brilliant, we were only allowed to pick four. Now we picked three and we have yet to confirm the fourth but we will come back with the answer for that later on in the day. The winner's are: Eternity by James Cook, Pink Frost by Jennifer Franks and Blue Lady by Bic Runga."

Booth saw Hunter dash out of the room and climbed over Temperance to follow her. He found her slumped against a wall, sobbing her heart out. He gathered her in his arms and allowed her to cry. She was allowed to be disappointed; she had worked hard on that film and had obviously put her heart into it. Another set of footsteps came down the hall and Booth's eyes met that of a tall man who was wearing a pinstripe suit, a man he had seen in the audience.

"Miss Booth?"

Hunter raised her head, quickly wiping away her tears with the base of her hand.

"Yes?"

The man held out his hand.

"My name is Richard Burgin. I am the head director at Alfred Collins Academy. Why are you crying?"

Hunter looked at him, a frown deep on her flushed face.

"I lost."

Mr. Burgin gave her a warm smile.

"And how do you know that? We have yet to announce the forth winner yet."

Hunter shook her head, the tears still falling.

"I know I didn't win. So whoever the forth is, it does not matter because it's not me."

Mr. Burgin nodded slightly, as if he was considering her words.

"And you're disappointed right?"

Hunter flashed him a hard glare.

"Of course I am. I'm hardly crying out of happiness."

"Does it make you want to give up making films?"

Hunter shook her head as she tried to ease the tears with her sleeve.

"Nothing could make me want to stop. A lot of directors never finished high school, if they can do it without official training, then so can I."

Far from being offended by the hard, condescending edge in her voice, as most would be, Burgin's smile just got wider and he placed a large hand on her shoulder.

"That's all I wanted to know. I was very impressed with your documentary. I am sorry that your mother was taken so brutally from you. And you sir must be Mr. Booth."

He addressed Booth for the first time and offered his hand to be clasped in the older man's warm strong grip.

"Your daughter certainly has a knack for her chosen career."

"Then why didn't I get a place?"

Hunter, tears now gone pushed her face into his, her tone demanding and hard. Mr. Burgin continued to smile.

"Ah but you did. You are the forth."

Hunter looked at him as if he had just told her the world was flat.

"Really?"

Mr. Burgin nodded and Hunter threw her arms around him.

"Thank you."

Now it was Booth's turn to take the demanding approach.

"Why didn't they announce it in there then?"

Your daughter, talented as she is, is also the youngest person here. Most of our students start at sixteen. We wanted to see if you were willing to allow her to start next year rather then wait the required two. We want to make an exception for her because she has made quite an impression on myself and the rest of the judges."

Hunter turned to Booth, tears long gone her eyes now wide with excitement.

"I can go early right Dad?"

Booth felt his heart drop at the idea of loosing her again, this time not for just twelve weeks but for months at a time. But he knew that she had to go. If she was going to be any good, she had to go.

"Of course."

Hunter hugged Booth and Mr. Burgin ambled away, just as quickly as he had arrived, leaving nothing but good news in his wake.

Temperance, taking Booth's lead, established her own set of rules and traditions for the house. Like the fact that she liked a bit of green with each meal or that Hunter would do more housework. At first, Hunter fought the rules tooth and nail, claiming that Temperance had no right to set any kind of rules because she was not her mother. Then when Hunter realised that Temperance backing down would be about as likely as her shaving all of her hair off, she stopped fighting. So with every meal there were veges and Hunter would do the dishes and hang out laundry without complaint. Except on Saturday's. It seemed that this was the day were rules were thrown out of the window, where you could do anything, within reason of course. They ate popcorn, left the housework, didn't eat any veges, watched movies far past when they were meant too and went to bed with much reluctance. And that was why Booth chose this day to follow through with his plan. Because Saturday's had no rules and no restrictions. He fiddled with the box in his pocket as he watched Hunter, Bobby and Parker have a water fight around the peach tree, both screaming and soaking wet as they continued to attack each other.

"Parker is really going to miss her when she goes off to Alfred Collins."

Booth removed his hand from his pocket as Temperance sidled up to him, her eyes watching the kids also.

"Yeah he will. But remember what Mr. Burgin said when he came for a visit about how Hunter can't start full time till she's sixteen. She'll just be gone for a couple of months before coming home for a month then going back again."

"I like Mr. Burgin. I like that he will have a close eye on her. She's going to find it hard."

Booth watched as Hunter tackled Parker and poured a bottle of water over his head before dashing off again to fill it up. Parker let out a howl of fury and went after her.

"I don't know about that. She's had a lot thrown at her over the last couple of years. I think she'll cope fine. It's me I'm worried about."

Temperance smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.

"I'll look after you, I promise. Someone needs to make sure you eat your greens."

"What is it with you and eating greens?"

"I guess looking after you guys brings out the mother in me."

Booth pulled her closer still, kissing the top of her head. Being with Temperance had made his life a whole lot happier. He felt complete. As if he could take on the world if she would just stay by his side. Which is why he had to ask her. Which is why he needed to ask her.

"We better get those kids in. It's getting dark and dinner's almost ready."

Temperance broke their embrace and Booth followed her outside, his thoughts elsewhere, which is properly why Hunter was able to sneak up behind him and dump a bottle of water over his head.

"HUNTER! That is freezing!"

He heard a scream as Parker managed to soak Temperance before the little boy fell over in a fit of laughter. It took Booth a mere second to decide what to do. He grabbed the hose, turned it on full blast and went after all of them, Temperance included. He ignored her screamed threats and continued to soak her and the kids, who were laughing so hard they had trouble standing up. He called an end to the fun when the air took on a chill and he himself was shivering. They all headed inside, dried off and sat down to eat.

"Macaroni and cheese, as requested by Mr. Parker."

Temperance bought the large serving dish into the dining room and soon all was quite as they ate their meal, hungry from all the running around that afternoon. Booth was watching Temperance as she ate, pausing to answer a question that Parker asked her, watching as she answered it with great patience. Satisfied with her answer, Parker went back to eating. The words were out before he could stop them, tumbling over each other, landing on the table, free at last.

"Marry me."

Temperance continued to chew, sipping at her wine before frowning, looking as if she thought she had heard him incorrectly.

"What?"

"Marry me."

Parker let out a little squeal, one that was silenced when Hunter clapped a hand over his mouth. Temperance glanced at the kids before looking back at Booth.

"Really?"

Booth pushed his chair back and knelt down beside her, taking the small velvet box from his pocket.

"I want you to be with me forever. The kids love you and so do I. We need someone to make sure we eat our greens and know how to fold the laundry properly. Hunter needs a woman to tell her about things that I cannot, Parker needs a step mom that deals with cool things that he can tell his friends about and I need you because you make me a better man. I was nothing before I met you and I am nothing without you. Marry me."

Temperance looked at the kids again, both of whom were nodding, before looking at Booth, a small smile on her face.

"Of course I will"

Booth popped open the box and slipped the ring on her finger, the small diamond catching the light as her hand shook slightly. He pulled her off her seat and in a hug, kissing her wherever he could reach, smiling when the kids began to protest, making gagging noises. With much reluctance, he let Temperance return to her seat, the food now long forgotten. The kids were far to excited to eat and so were they. The rest of the night was spent chatting about the wedding and Booth sat quietly amongst all the chatter, his heart too full for him to speak.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N - So if I am going to be leaving you all for a while I thought that I should finish 'Hunter' for you, it was the least I could do. I hope the ending it to everybody's standard. Enjoy and reveiw..._

Epilogue – Anchor Me

"I don't think that this is a good idea."

"Why?"

"What if they stuff it up?"

"Have a little faith in them Booth. And anyway, Angela is helping them."

Booth rolled his eyes.

"And now I'm even more worried. We could have just organised it ourselves."

Temperance shook her head as she continued to paint her toenails.

"They asked and I wanted them to be part of it."

"Organising the whole wedding? That's a bit much."

"Booth, we are hardly have a huge one now are we? We are having it in the backyard and between us we may just have fifty guests. And Angela is helping them. Relax. It will be great."

Booth sipped at his coffee as he stared out into the night sky, wondering how in the world he had gotten himself into this. How in the world had Temperance managed to convince him that this was a good plan?

"What about music? The clothes? The food?"

Temperance sighed and put the lid back onto the polish.

"Nothing too sappy. The clothes are easily sorted. Angela knows what I want for the dresses and I told her to pick the tuxes out herself for you and Russ. As for the food, I left that up to them. BBQ maybe? The weather's right for it."

"I can't believe we are leaving the wedding up to a fourteen-year old, a five-year old and a woman of undetermined age."

Temperance abandoned the act of talking Booth around and snuggled into him instead.

"Does it really matter what our day is like? As long as we are together, that's all that really matters."

Booth sighed as he rested his chin on the top of Temperance's head.

"I know. I just really do not need to get lost in a pink wedding."

"With your daughter? I would be more worried about the black!"

Booth chuckled and finished off the last of his coffee. He hoped that Temperance was right and that her faith in the kids and Angela was not misplaced.

The day of the wedding dawned, bright and clear and Temperance felt a little flutter of nerves in her stomach. She chose to ignore the carefully laid out breakfast tray that Angela had brought up to the room.

"I could get my own breakfast you know."

Angela shook her head and began to lay out a large amount of makeup.

"No because you'll go and see Booth."

"So what if I did? We spent the night apart, surely that's enough?"

Angela shook her head again.

"No. You are only allowed to see him at the end of the aisle. It's bad luck otherwise."

Temperance rolled her eyes and headed into the bathroom for a long hot shower. When she re-emerged twenty minutes later, Hunter had joined Angela in the room and was now wearing what Temperance presumed was one of the bridesmaid dresses. It was a beautiful deep blue with a small bow on the hip and smooth sleeves that stooped just below the shoulder. It bellowed out at the bottom, which gave the impression of elegance as it rested at the tops of her blue high heels.

"Wow, that's beautiful."

Angela nodded, her face filled with pride as she continued to fuss over the way it sat on Hunter.

"Told you I could get them made in time."

Temperance sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Angela put a little bit of make up on Hunter before pulling back her smooth dark hair into a clip that was the same exact shade as the dress. Considering the simplicity of what Angela had done, when Hunter turned to get Temperance's approval, she was shocked to see that her soon to be stepdaughter looked a good three years older then she actually was.

"You look stunning Hunter."

Hunter grinned and gave her a quick hug before Angela pulled Temperance herself into the chair in front of the mirror.

"Right, let's get your face and hair done before we get you dressed. How long now Hunter?"

Hunter glanced at the alarm clock.

"Just over two hours."

"Good, plenty of time. Do you want to go and check the boys for me?"

Hunter nodded before disappearing out the door in a soft rustle of fabric. Temperance closed her eyes as Angela began to comb and blow-dry her hair, trying to sooth the butterflies in her stomach.

"So are you nervous sweetie?"

Angela switched the drier off and began to separate her hair into sections.

"A little. What colour is my dress?"

"The dresses are all different shades of blue. Yours is a little darker then sky blue. What till you see it, it's gorgeous. Sit still."

Temperance didn't realise that she was fidgeting until Angela had to just about push her back into the seat. She watched in the mirror as Angela twisted the different sections of her hair before pinning them back with a vast supply of bobby pins. She then carefully positioned daisies all over her hair, in what seemed to Temperance at complete random, before turning to the make up. She made a quick layer and Temperance was once again let wondering at the amazement what magic a little make up could do. Far from looking tired and nervous, she looked rather elegant.

"Ok, let's get you into the dress."

Angela pulled it from the closet and Temperance did indeed fall in love with it. It was a shade of blue that she had hardly ever seen before.

"I guess this could be my something blue huh?"

Angela just smiled as she helped Temperance slip into the dress. It was sleeveless and surprisingly simple with a tight bodice and a flowing skirt. And as Temperance looked into the mirror, she could hardly believe that the person staring back was herself. The dress was the almost exact same colour then her eyes, which were now even more blue thanks to the dress. Hunter had chosen that precise moment to slip back into the room, a small velvet box in her hands.

"Wow Tempe, you look great."

"Thanks Hunter. How are the boys?"

"Good. All the ties are on the right way."

Angela laughed as she fussed over the dress a little.

"I guess that's all we can ask for."

"Can I ask you guys some questions?"

"Ask away."

"What music is going to be playing?"

"We've got it covered. Andrew's band is playing."

Temperance raised her eyebrows.

"He's in a band?"

Hunter smiled proudly.

"Yup. They're called Paper or Plastic."

"Interesting name. Are they any good?"

Temperance looked to Angela for the answer to that question, knowing that aside from art, music was the one thing that she knew more then most about. Angela nodded hard.

"Very good. I would not have asked them to play if they weren't. We made them audition and everything."

Hunter frowned slightly in the mirror.

"Angela is very hard to please."

"What about the cake?"

"Ah see that's where having a big family comes in handy. I had one of my uncles make it for you, free of charge even. He likes weddings."

"What about the food?"

Angela put her hands on Temperance's shoulders, pressing her mouth close to her ear.

"We have it covered. You just relax and enjoy your big day. Ok?"

Temperance nodded and Angela went to get changed into her dress. Hunter came to sit closer to Temperance, the box still in her hands.

"I have your something borrowed."

Hunter popped open the box to revel a single string of pearls.

"Mom left these for me when she died. She wants me to wear them on my wedding day. And I want you to wear them on yours."

She moved around and clasped them around Temperance's neck, watching as they came to rest at the base of her throat.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Temperance nodded as she gently fingered the pearls. She felt in a strange way honoured and finally accepted fully by Hunter. She knew that Hunter had never resented her in anyway for being part of her father's life but Temperance had always felt there was still a slight barrier there. But now it was gone. Hunter was lending her something that belonged to her mother and that meant more to Temperance then words ever could.

"Thank you."

Hunter smiled at her before turning to Angela.

"Dad says that the surprise is ready when we are."

Angela smiled back as she pulled on her dress, one which was a shade or two lighter then Hunter's, with a low back and a small bow at the back. She looked exotic in the blue fabric.

"Excellent."

"What surprise?"

Angela moved Temperance out of the way slightly to gain access to the mirror to do her own hair and make up.

"Booth and Russ organised a nice little present for you. Hunter do you want to go and get it and I'll finish up in here."

Angela ignored Temperance's torrent of questions as she helped her strap on her shoes before doing her own. By the time Hunter came back into the room, both woman were ready.

"Hello Temperance."

Angela's hands on her back were the only thing keeping her from tumbling to the ground as she took in Booth's surprise in shock. It was her father. He was dressed in a black suit, a flower the same shade of blue as her dress was on his lapel and a wide smile on his creased face.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

He didn't bother with the question, just moved forward and pulled her into a tight hug. Temperance relaxed into his firm grip and breathed deeply, shocked to find he smelt exactly the same as he did all those years ago, the scent of peppermint and wood making her flash for a moment back to her childhood. He was still taller then her and for a wonderful carefree moment, she felt so safe back in her father's arms, where nothing would ever hurt her. The past didn't matter anymore, it was forgotten in his strong and gently grip. He pulled back first, tears twinkling in his eyes.

"You look stunning."

Angela stepped forward and gave the older man a quick hug before pushing Hunter forward.

"This is Hunter."

He gazed at her, a small smile on his face.

"I never thought I would ever get grandchildren, let alone such a smart and beautiful grand daughter. Your father has told me all about you."

"Really?"

"Yes he has. I heard all about the movie for film camp and your scholarship. And you know who it reminded me of?"

Hunter shrugged and he pointed to Temperance.

"Your step mom. You're more like her then you would ever know."

Hunter smiled widely and allowed him to give her a quick hug before he righted himself, wiping his eyes with the cuff of his jacket.

"Right, we had better get going. I am here to walk you down the aisle, my dear daughter."

Temperance managed to swallow the rest of the questions that were tempted to spill from her, choosing instead to enjoy the time with her father. She let them guide her from the house and into the backyard, where she stopped a moment to take in the scene before her. She had always known that the backyard was big but she had never know that it was big enough to house the large marque that was sitting in the middle of it, decorated with flowers and balloons of every shape and colour. There was a strip of deep red carpet that led from the top of the back steps into the marque where she could see legs and shadows moving restlessly.

"You ready?"

Her father's voice was soft and low in her ear as Hunter and Angela took their places in front of her, thrusting a small bunch of daises in her hand as they went past. Temperance took a deep breath and nodded, watching as Hunter let out a large cough and the music started and Temperance began the slow walk to the top of the red carpet. Temperance was aware of nothing except the hammering of her heart in her chest and the happiness that made her feel like she was soon going to float up and join the balloons that were fighting the strings that kept them attached to the marque. Soon they were nearing the end of the carpet and Temperance caught Booth's eye and grinned at him, her heart suddenly stilling in her chest and an eerie calm fill her. She wanted this more then anything in the world. Her father placed her hand from his into Booth's and soon the service had begun. It was short and simple and within half and hour, they were married.

"May I present, Mr and Mrs Seeley Booth!"

The marque erupted into cheers and wild applause and the crowd followed them out of the marque and disburse to help Hunter extend it and make it bigger, leaving the newly married couple to have a moment to themselves.

"How does it feel to be Mrs Booth?"

"Great. Thank you for the surprise by the way."

Booth shrugged as he pulled her into his arms.

"It was nothing. You needed someone to give you away."

"I love you."

"I love you too. I should also say that I was wrong."

"About what?"

"About letting the kids plan this. They did a great job."

Temperance punched him gently in the stomach.

"Told you so. Let's go back in."

Booth held her hand as they moved back into the marque and onto the make do dance floor for their first dance. When the beginning strands of music began to get played by Paper or Plastic, Temperance recognised the music instantly, it was one of her favourite songs.

And I'd give up forever to touch you 

_Cause I know that you feel me somehow_

_You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be_

_And I don't want to go home right now_

_And all I can taste is this moment_

_And all I can breathe is your life_

_And sooner or later it's over_

_I just don't want to miss you tonight_

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

_When everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

"It's not too cheesy is it?"

Booth's voice was soft in her ear as he led her around the dance floor in smooth motions.

"No it's not. I actually know this song. And like it."

Booth laughed slightly.

"Angela will be pleased."

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming 

_Or the moment of the truth in your lies_

_When everything feels like the movies,_

_Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive_

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

_When everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am_

It was then that Temperance beckoned everyone else onto the dance floor with a wave of her hand, watching as her friends and co-workers sought out dance partners. Hunter was dancing with Russ, Angela with Temperance's dad and Parker with one of the elderly next-door neighbours that had been invited. Soon the song was over and had moved onto a much more upbeat tune and Temperance sat down for a moment to catch her breath. It had been a big day. Her father allowed Hodges to break in with himself and Angela before coming to sit beside his daughter.

"I have to go honey."

All the happiness that she had felt from the last hour was gone. She didn't want him to leave, she wanted him to stay. Would do anything to make sure he stayed.

"No please don't. Have something to eat. Talk to Seeley. Just stay."

"I can't. It is safer if I go before I am tempted to stay."

Temperance rested her head on his shoulder.

"You still building boats?"

"Yup. Been working on the same one for the last couple of years. Do you know what I've called it?"

She shook her head, trying to stop the tears from falling.

"The Temperance Russ. Sounds rather poetic, don't you think?"

She laughed despite herself and took another deep breath of his familiar smell.

"I have so many questions for you dad."

"And one day I can answer them. But for now I have to go. It's not safe form me to stay here."

"I love you dad."

"I love you too. I promise to write ok?"

Temperance nodded before releasing him, watching as he slipped away just as quietly as he had arrived. Seeley came to sit beside her a few moments later.

"You ok?"

She shook her head and Seeley pulled her closer to him. She rested her head on his chest and tried to remember that she was meant to be happy. She had finally married Seeley and her father had given her away. He wanted her to be happy.

"I wanted him to stay"

"I know you did. But he didn't want to put us in any danger. He's still being chased."

"I don't care. I wanted my father here to celebrate this day with me."

Seeley said nothing, just held her tighter.

"He said he'd write."

"Then I'm sure he will. At least he came, even if it only was for a little while."

She nodded she kept her head resting on her new husband, watching as their friends continued to spin around the dance floor, quite unaware just how badly Temperance felt off kilter. The day now held more of a bitterness to it. But she was still glad her father had been there to give her away. She had expected it to be Russ.

"I have another surprise for you."

Booth pulled her from her thoughts with a gentle kiss before he made his way to the stage, coming to stand beside Andrew, who bent his head and nodded in agreement as Booth spoke in his ear. He stood back and allowed Andrew to finish the song that they were on before stepping up to the microphone, waiting until everybody was back in their seats before speaking.

"Thank you everyone for coming. I am up here because I have a surprise for my new wife, something that I have been working on for weeks with Andrew here. So please excuse any mistakes I make and don't laugh to hard at me."

The crowd let out a small round of applause as Booth waited for Andrew to settle himself at his side, guitar around his neck, his long fingers pulling at the strings gently. Temperance forgot to breathe as Booth, her Booth, began to sing. His voice was soft and deep and while he would hardly be beating back record deals, it was incredibly sexy to see him up there, his eyes on her, every word ringing true.

I'm gonna be here for you baby 

_I'll be a man of my word_

_Speak the language in a voice you have never heard_

_I wanna sleep with you forever_

_And I wanna die in your arms_

_In a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm_

_And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you_

_And I'll earn your trust making memories of us._

I wanna honour your Ma 

_And I wanna learn from your Pa_

_I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw_

_I wanna stand out in a crowd for you_

_A man among men_

_I wanna make your world better then it's ever been_

_And I'm going to love you like nobody loves you_

_And I'll earn your trust making memories of us._

_We'll follow the rainbow_

_Wherever the four winds blow_

_And they'll be a new day_

_Coming your way_

Booth stepped off the makeshift stage at that point and moved towards Temperance, his hand out, which she took allowing him to pull her into a standing position. He pulled her close to him, still singing into the microphone.

I'm gonna be here for you from now on 

_This you know somehow_

_You've been stretched to the limit but it's alright now_

_And I'm gonna make you this promise_

_If there is life after this_

_I'm going to be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss_

_And I'm going to love you like nobody loves you_

_And I'll earn your trust making memories of us_

And with the final words, he rested his forehead against hers, the microphone bumping against his thigh as he dropped his hand. Temperance was deaf to the applause that the crowd gave her husband, was blind to anything except him.

"You sang for me?"

Booth nodded slightly as they continued to stand, head to head, their bodies pressed together.

"Andrew's been teaching me for weeks. I was so terrible when I started. I thought I was quite good. Did you like it?"

Temperance shifted their position to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer still.

"I loved it. Isn't that the song Keith Urban wrote for Nicole Kidman?"

Booth pulled back, his face one of surprise.

"You know that?"

Temperance shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep last night and Angela would not let me see you, so I read some gossip magazines that she had brought over. They had the lyrics and everything in there."

"You don't mind me using that song?"

"No, I loved it. Thank you."

She pulled him close again, her face in his neck, his skin soft and warm against her face. She matched her breathing to his and watched as her friends gathered around them again, swaying to the now slow music. She moved her face to give Angela a smile, mouthing thank you to her, Angela's smile wide and happy.

"Did I tell you how much I love you?"

Booth's voice was hot in her ear, his hand making a small circle on the bare skin above the bodice of her wedding dress.

"Yes. But you can tell me again if you want to."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The rest of the day passed without a hitch and by the time everybody had left, it was close to three in the morning and Temperance wanted nothing more then to crawl into bed with her husband. Unfortunately, they had to put Parker to bed first and try to untangle Hunter and Andrew, who had somehow discovered how to kiss without the need for air. When it was all done, Booth and Temperance headed upstairs, where Booth helped her undo the zip the held her dress in place, laying kisses along her shoulders and onto the soft skin removing the dress had exposed.

"God, you're beautiful."

Temperance giggled as he kissed her ribs before moving back to her lips in a heart stopping kiss. He paused, his face drawn into a frown.

"Why are we here? Remind me again why we decided against a honeymoon for the moment?"

"Because we have the kids to consider. We just have to settle for sex in our own bed."

Booth kissed her stomach, his face pulled into a wicked grin.

"So would it be wrong for me to wish that they were not here?"

Temperance arched her back as he kissed the sensitive skin on the edge of her hip.

"No. But no more talking now. I believe we have a marriage to consummate."

So they did.


End file.
